Sweet Home interviews

When I went to see the advanced press screening of SWEET HOME ALABAMA last week, one thing came to mind .this would be a
great place to meet girls, if one was single which I am not. The theater was absolutely teeming with chicks, young and
old and when I say old I mean early 30s! Once the movie started I realized quickly that the girls there werent interested
in picking up on swarthy dudes like yours truly, they were there to see Reese (she plays the role of New York fashion
designer Melanie Carmichael in the film). Not sure why shes such a hit with the young female population, but they love her,
man. The place was packed, and they all clapped afterwards (On a side note, I never understand why people clap after the
movies over, anyway. Do they expect the cast to come waltzing out and take a bow? Theyre pretty much just clapping at the
screen. Thanks, you big screen you. You really pleased me tonight.) Anyhoo, I digress.

The movie itself wasnt bad. I had understandably low expectations going in. Being the testosterone filled,
football-loving meathead that I am, I figured the chances of me liking this film were slim to none. But it wasnt all that
bad. Had its moments. And Reese, although they took her out of her best element in this film (I think shes at her best
when its a pure comedy, silliness to the nth degree), she pulls off the romantic side with great charm. So, after being
pleasantly surprised by the film, I was hyped up to meet the cast and I did last weekend at the Park Hyatt hotel in Century
City. After a lions share of giant Cinnabon-style roles, I sat my fat arse down and chatted with the accomplished cast of
the film, including Patrick Dempsey, Candice Bergen, and Reese Witherspoon, herself.

REESE
WITHERSPOON

First through the door was, in fact, Reese. For all her recent success, and rapid ascent to the top of the A-List heap,
she was not surrounded by publicists and hangers-ons. She came in with a couple assistants, was cordial (not that I would
expect anything less), and gave her full attention to me and my press comrades. The first thing I noticed when she arrived
was her face. Its very small. Almond-shaped, as my girlfriend so poignantly stated. Very true. And you always hear
that actors have huge heads (I guess to make the cinematographers life easier), but that was certainly not the case for her.
Small features, but cute. Reeses resume is astounding THE MAN IN THE MOON, LEGALLY BLONDE, PLEASANTVILLE, THE IMPORTANCE
OF BEING EARNEST, and my favorite, ELECTION. But theres more to her than just fame and acting. Heres more from one of
Hollywoods hottest

Do you find that being an A-list actor means added perks, etc? Do people treat you differently?

I cant tell you if they treat you differently, because Im only on one side of it. But definitely, there are a lot of
great things about it. You meet a lot of interesting people. You get to travel. You learn about other peoples lives and
other cultures. So theres ups and theres downs. Its pretty nice. I always try to focus on the positive aspects of it.

Are you trying to do more small films still, like ELECTION?

Yeah. Im doing a film with Mira Nair after LEGALLY BLONDE 2: RED, WHITE AND BLONDE called VANITY FAIR.

Theres a big proposal scene in this movie. Whats important for a good proposal?

The best proposals are the most personal ones. You dont have to spend a lot of money. My proposal was very
personal.

Youre from Tennessee originally. Have you lost your accent since coming to LA?

I had to work really hard to lose. And it comes out a lot when Im angry, or with my mother, or even angry at my
mother.

Did you have to work hard for the dialect in the movie?

Yeah. It was helpful to be there in Georgia, we filmed in Georgia, and to be with people speaking a similar dialect.

Your husband Ryan Phillipe has said hed like to direct. Have you guys talked about doing a project together, as
director-actor?

Yeah. I dont know. Thats the thing about this business. I dont even know what the next 6 months of my life are going
to be. So I cant really say what the proximity of that happening is. But I think hed be a really good director.

How concerned are you about the box office?

I get a little concerned. Theres always a lot of studio people calling me asking me to promote the films and stuff. So
its important. I feel that I need to honor my commitment to each film. But it doesnt make or break my day. I have a lot
of other stuff going. Its wonderful when everything is good and positive. But everything in this business is fleeting.
You cant put too many eggs in one basket, whether its people rooting for you or against you. Invariably youre going to go
south. So I try not to rely too much on other people's opinions for my self-worth, or box office receipts or whatever.
Thats not a big measure for me.

Thats what your character Melanie does in the film, though, right?

Yeah. She kind of looks for acceptance, and constantly tries to put on a persona thats not her. And until she finds her
own identity, its hard for her to find true love.

Did you have any input into crafting the character?

Yeah, we talked about it a lot beforehand. My main thing was that it not represent southern people basically as the way I
grew up viewing southern people, as ignorant and inbred. I wanted to celebrate the eccentricities of southern people because
there certainly is a lot of humor there, but also express the values and morals that they identify with.

Are you planning of having another baby?

I dont plan a lot of stuff. I just sort of roll with the punches. I would certainly love to have more children,
though.

When youre driving down the street and see yourself on billboards, what do you think? Does it become too much
sometimes?

You know, the billboard for this movie doesnt even look me, to me. Its kind of an outside experience to me. That looks
more like the character than me. Im really able to remove myself. I dont look at magazines and go, Hey, theres a
picture of me and that looks good. It just doesnt look like me, to me. But whats made it easier is that I didnt just
have this meteoric rise to fame. Ive slowly gotten used to seeing myself in public. So its not as shocking as it could
be. When my daughter sees pictures she says Hey, that kind of looks like you! But I dont read anything. I dont watch
entertainment shows. I dont read fashion magazines or anything, partly because Im totally chicken to see what theyre
saying about me. But overall Im not terribly concerned with what people think of me because I feel I have a pretty good
perspective of who I am and what Im about. Its scary because you go into these interviews and somebody gets a few hours to
completely assess your personality and its like, how can you encapsulate someones entire personality in a few hours? So
Im not interested in reading about other people because I dont feel it can be really indicative of who they really are.

Reese, there have been rumors that you are apparently very much attracted to JoBlo from the JoBlo.com website? What's the deal behind that? Can you expand?

Oh my God, I can't believe you know that!! My husband likes to tease me about that all the time, but the truth is that I do have this strange obsession with JoBlo. It must be something about his logo...I'm not sure. Of course, I would never leave Ryan for him or anything, but just once...just once I wish I could meet him and kiss him on the lips. Wow, that would be awesome! Anyway, he's too busy, I suppose...he's got that whole "website thing" happening. Oh my God...you made me blush!!

(OK, OK...that last question is fake. But JoBlo threatened me with bodily harm if I didn't embellish. He's obsessed with Reese. Obsessed I tell you!)

Next in was Patrick Dempsey. He plays Melanie Carmichaels wealthy and aristocratic nice-guy fiancée Andrew in the film.
Of course, the first film that comes to mind when you think of Patrick Dempsey is CANT BUY ME LOVE. Sure, he was in a few
other 80s classics, but thats his claim-to-fame, and hes the first to admit it. He also recently appeared in SCREAM 3, and
received critical acclaim for his work on the tv series ONCE & AGAIN and WILL & GRACE. He was a great guy who seemed to be
very appreciative of his success in the 80s, but also hungry to showcase his talents more today. He talked about how raising
a family affects your career, and gave me some insight into the shooting of this film and, yes, CANT BUY ME LOVE. More from
Patrick

PATRICK DEMPSEY

Did you do a lot of press junkets and interviews when you first started your career? Have times changed at all
regarding dealing with press?

I actually like it now. I never felt comfortable before. I was always trying to be too serious back then with the media.
I think its hard. When youre younger, and you get a lot of success early on, you dont really have a sense of yourself.
You listen to people who say how they think you should be But the older you get, the less you worry about that.

How old were you in films like CANT BUY ME LOVE?

18, 19, 20 years old. Early 20s. CANT BUY ME LOVE changed everything, and all of a sudden became this hit movie. Its
been great. People love that movie. When we did it, nobody took it seriously. Nobody thought it was going to be anything
at all. It has a huge following. Everywhere I go, people mention it and want me to do that African Anteater ritual dance.
Its hilarious. Its funny, but Paula Abdul was the choreographer of that dance. Seriously. This was before her album came
out. But she did that.

Recently youve been doing a lot more diverse stuff too. Why is that?

Television has given me opportunities that film studios havent. Its been a great place to go and take risks. ONCE &
AGAIN was a great experience. And WILL & GRACE. The people who saw that said Hey, youre an older man now! They just
havent seen all the other stuff Ive been doing on the side. So that was good.

How frustrating is it to do work, like some indie films, that nobody sees?

Its extremely frustrating. You just get burned enough times that you learn to deal with it. Ive auditioned for years
and never got anything, and this was after the success of CANT BUY ME LOVE. 10 years of auditioning and nothing. That was
really difficult. A real ego burner, but thats good. I needed it. I dont need it any more, though. I had to pay my dues
after the fact, which is the opposite of what usually happens.

Do you think that if this movie is a success, itll give you a boost, as one of the leading men?

I hope so. People still view me as being the teen guy. And all those movies run nonstop on cable. But I think through
the combination of films and television, people are allowing me to grow up, and bridge the gap from child star to adult.

It seems that a lot of child stars get back into the biz through tv spots. Why is that?

Its helped me. For years Ive been doing a lot of tv movies and series. Film studios view it as a huge financial risk.
They either want a complete unknown, or somebody whos proven themselves. Thats just the nature of the business. You cant
change this town, you can only change your attitude towards it. You have to be grateful to be the 1% or 2% of actors that
are working full-time.

Last in was Candice Bergen, who really needs no introduction. She starred for 10 years on the hugely successful and
critically-acclaimed tv show MURPHY BROWN, and has done time on the big screen in CARNAL KNOWLEDGE, MISS CONGENIALITY,
GETTING STRAIGHT, and STARTING OVER. When she walked in, my first thought was man, she looks great for however old she is (a
mystery). In the movie she plays Kate, the mayor of New York City and Reeses mother-in-law to-be. In the interview she
talked about being an aging actress in Hollywood, MURPHY BROWN, and family life. Heres more from Candice

CANDICE BERGEN

Whats your take on Reese and her newfound fame?

Shes great. She just does flawless work. Shes very intelligent, and chooses her projects meticulously. All of the
films shes been in have been just perfect choices for her. Shes quite exceptional.

Did you have any advice for her, as far as making it in Hollywood?

Are you kidding? I didnt have any advice for her. I should be asking her for advice. I just sort of rumbled along for
such a long time. Reese doesnt need any advice. She knows exactly what shes doing.

What about being and mom and a wife in Hollywood? Did you talk with her about that?

You know, everybody does it according to their values and priorities. Being from a very solid family, she has a terrific
set of values. But shes also a very dedicated actress, as well as a very dedicated mom. Im sure shell figure out how to
do both as she goes along. I did it my way, and everybody else does it their way.

What types of roles are you being offered nowadays? Are they predominantly strong women, like Murphy was?

Yes. Of course Murphy was a very strong woman, with a very strong presence, but I just finished a part in a film in
Toronto, starring Michael Douglas and Albert Brooks. Its a comedy where I play Michaels ex-wife. And shes bitter and
lost in that. So it was really fun. But I look for comedies, and roles that are in comedies, even if the roles themselves
arent comedic, because thats what I love to do. And thats what I feel most comfortable doing. And I dont like to be
away from home too much, so if its something where I have to be away from home too much, I wont do it.

So having a family and kids limits your choices?

Sure. But I would like to work more. I just cant be away too long. Life is a series of choices I liked doing the tv
series, but it was really a lot of work. And at the time I had a small child. But it was a lot of fun. It was a great
experience. Now I dont work as much, but view it as a challenge to find work that accommodates my family and work that I
find gratifying.

When you did that show, you were the biggest news on tv. What was that like?

That whole MURPHY BROWN-Dan Quayle thing was so surreal. It just went on and on and on. And everyday Id pick up the
paper and the story would be in the business section, or the front section. It didnt matter what section it was in, there
was always a cartoon or an editorial. So I just tried to keep really quiet. It was incredibly weird.

Patrick was saying you and he didnt rehearse a lot before shooting this film. Why not?

I love to rehearse. In 10 years of MURPHY BROWN, wed rehearse all week, and then shoot it. So, for me, I really miss
having that time to practice In movies you dont do it that much. No time. Unless someone insists, maybe a director
insists, its just too expensive. But for me, its really helpful.

What was it like working with him as your son?

Wonderful. Great. I think because of how Patrick is, since hes so charming and such a comfortable actor, so easy and
relaxed, he seemed to know exactly what his relationship was with me. And I loved that his character wasnt a cliché, or the
weak Patrician son who gets dumped at the altar. Hes so appealing. Hes his own person and has his own opinions. He loves
and respects his mother, but has his own life.

This movie is, obviously, a romantic comedy. I heard that the director, Andy Tennant, said he believes, deep down
inside, that men are actually more romantic than women. Is that true?

Well, in my experience they are not. But, you know, Andy certainly is. My husband is very romantic. I think things
nowadays have gotten a little raw. Theres something gracious about romance, and relationships now have gotten so raw.
There is no romance. The obsession with sexuality nowadays is tough. Theres less emphasis on intimacy and romance and
friendship.

Well, again I had a great time. And from the talent to the studio reps, everyone was
peachy.